Fate Intervenes
by InfinityStar
Summary: Bobby was never late for work...
1. Late For Work

**A/N: When the site was down and the chapters of my current stories were suspended in cyberspace, I did what any self-respecting writer would do. I wrote another story :-)**

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_I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be. --Douglas Adams_

He was late. He was never late, but today he was. Eames looked across her desk at his empty chair, looked at the time again, and worried. Bobby was never late.

"Hey, Eames," Logan grinned as he stopped at her desk. "Where's the big guy?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"He and I were gonna go shoot some pool tonight. I wanted to know if he was up for grabbing some dinner, too."

"I'll tell him you're looking for him."

Logan studied her. "You're worried."

She gave him an annoyed look. "Wow, are you a detective or something? How'd you figure that one out?"

"Calm down, Eames. Everyone oversleeps from time to time."

She shook her head. "He doesn't sleep that well, Logan. He's never slept through his alarm."

"Maybe he forgot to set it."

"His internal alarm is about five minutes later than his clock."

Logan laughed. "Maybe his car broke down or he missed his train. I'm sure he's fine, Eames. It's a guy thing to not call and worry those who care about us most."

He winked at her and headed to his desk. She frowned. A guy thing? Maybe so, but Bobby was anything but a typical guy. No, she was certain he would never forget to call if he was late. He always called her when anything out of the ordinary was happening. She picked up the phone and dialed his number. No answer. She called his apartment. Again no answer. Setting the phone in its cradle, she propped her elbows on the desk and rested her head on her hands. He would not cause her undue worry, and he certainly wouldn't not answer his phone. Deep in her gut, she had a feeling something was wrong, a sixth sense she learned a long time ago never to ignore. Grabbing her jacket, she called to Logan and Barek. "If the captain asks, tell him I'll be back shortly. I need to check on something."

Barek waved a hand in acknowledgment. Logan snickered, earning him a look from his partner. "What are you sniggering at?"

"She's overreacting."

"To what?"

"Goren's late."

"Really? I've never known him to be late. I was beginning to think he lived here."

"He probably would if he could. I told her not to worry. He probably overslept or something."

"Goren sleeps?"

Logan laughed. "Not very well, according to Eames, though how she knows that is something I don't particularly want to ask. But that begs the question that he does sleep in the first place."

"I don't know, Mike. Maybe you're not worried enough. If he was running late, he'd call her. He wouldn't want her to worry."

"He forgot."

"Goren? Have you even met the guy?"

"Yeah, yeah...ok. But I still think she's worried for nothing."

"Eames doesn't worry over nothing."

"Would you worry if I was late?"

"No. You _would_ forget to call."

"Aw, Barek..."

-----------------------------------

He looked at his watch. He was annoyed that the train was delayed, but still, he'd be at work early. Damn car...

He found himself wondering if Eames would get there first. He smiled to himself. She fussed at him almost every day for arriving before she did and remaining after she left. He worked too hard, she complained. But the truth of the matter was he just didn't want to miss any time he had to spend with her. And besides, it was more than worth it every morning to see her arrive, walk to her desk and smile at him for the danish and coffee he'd left there for her. His day always seemed to go better when it started with a smile from Eames.

Finally...the train arrived. He looked at his watch again. He'd be cutting it close, but at least he wasn't going to be late. There was still a chance he would get there before she did, but it was slim. He thought about calling her, just in case she got there first, so she wouldn't worry if he wasn't there. But he was being stupid. She wasn't going to worry if he got there a few minutes after she did.

There weren't as many people on the train as he'd expected, but it was still a little early for the crushing rush hour peak. He liked to leave a lot earlier when he took the train because he hated standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a hot subway car, particularly with his gun on his hip. Of course, he hadn't expected to have to take the train today. Ah, well. Some things couldn't be helped. The seats were all taken, and there was a scattering of folks on their feet, but at least there was breathing room. He stood at the end of the car, near the door leading to the next car, where he always preferred to be. It wasn't because, like Wild Bill Hickcock, he wanted his back to the wall, but because he liked to watch the people around him and play one of his favorite games. Observing people, he liked to see what he could surmise from their appearances and actions. He'd been playing the game for most of his life, and he was pretty good at it. It made his time on the train pass a lot more quickly.

There was a young woman settled on one of the seats that faced the center of the car, nicely dressed, but he'd bet money she was sporting more than one tattoo. He could see the piercing holes in her lip, nose and eyebrow, and her hair was much too dark for her skin. A Goth princess with a respectable job? He smiled to himself. Then there was the middle aged man in Armani. Carrying on an affair, perhaps? Why else would he have a band-aid on over his bare ring finger but to hide his tell-tale tan line? And the kid with the torn jeans over there...his Navy blue shirt had a six-pack of beer on it above the words "Beer is technically a vegetarian meal." He smiled. College kid. But he almost laughed out loud at the logo on the yellow shirt of the girl behind him. "Your village called...they want their idiot back." That made him think of Eames.

He was pulled from his musings by the sound of a deep rumble in the distance and he frowned. That didn't sound quite right. Another rumble followed, and another...What the hell...? They sounded like...

Suddenly, the train lurched violently and the lights went out. He heard screams in the pitch black as the train bucked and lurched in a manner in which it was never intended to move. He felt a searing pain everywhere at once and then he felt nothing.


	2. A Bad Feeling

There was no answer at his apartment, so she pulled out her key and went in. She checked the place over, but he wasn't there. Nothing was out of place; everything looked just fine. Wherever he was, there was no indication anything was wrong here. Leaving the apartment, she looked for his car, but it wasn't there. Maybe something happened with his mother...but no, he would have called. Every scenario that popped into her head she was able to shoot down. And she couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that something was very wrong.

Back in the squad room, she sat down at her desk, but she couldn't concentrate on her work. Her eyes kept diverting to the empty desk across from her, and every time she looked, the lump in her gut would get a little heavier.

"Eames!" called a detective from across the room. "Call for Goren on line two!"

She picked up the phone. "Eames."

"Detective Alex! This is Lewis."

She smiled at the eternally cheerful voice of Bobby's oldest and closest friend. "Hello, Lewis."

"Is Bobby around?"

"Not right now. Can I take a message for him?"

"Yeah. Let him know I picked up his car a little while ago and I'll get to it this afternoon. He was right--looks like the alternator crapped out."

"Ok, Lewis. I'll tell him. Um...when did he call you about it?"

"Early this morning. Before seven."

"Ok, thanks."

"Take care, Detective Alex. Maybe you can come with Bobby when he picks it up?"

She couldn't help but smile. "Maybe. Bye, Lewis."

She set the phone in its cradle, not feeling any better. If he left for work before seven, he would have been here long ago. It was time to talk to Deakins.

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His senses were assaulted by an overwhelming amount of input...the acrid smell of burning electrical circuitry...the sounds of pain-filled moans and terrified crying...the sensation of pain, a lot of pain...

Slowly, he opened his eyes. The emergency lights flickered, penetrating the darkness, but only barely and threatening to go out entirely. He coughed, sending a searing pain shooting through his chest. He rolled onto his side and waited for the pain to diminish, which it did, but it didn't go away. Slowly and carefully, he got to his feet. Staggering, unsteady on his feet, he grabbed the nearest pole for support. Somehow, the subway car had remained upright. When some stability returned, he made his way to the end of the car where he'd been when the accident took place. He looked out toward the next car, but saw only rubble. The tunnel had collapsed.

His eyes scanned the dim interior of the car. People were beginning to stir. Those already awake were sitting about in shock; some were sobbing from pain or fear, or both. The Goth princess he'd noticed earlier was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth. He squatted beside her. "Are you badly hurt?"

She shook her head. He reached out and brushed her hair back from her face. She had a laceration across her forehead and her face was bloody. "What hurts?"

"Just my h-head."

He rested his hand on her arm and gently squeezed, moving on to the next victim. Eleven people were dead and another half dozen were unresponsive, critically injured. Injuries among the others ranged from head injuries of varying severity to fractured bones, contusions and lacerations; he had no way to gauge internal injuries except to observe for symptoms. He was amazed that there weren't more fatalities. He was still feeling light-headed and his chest and abdomen hurt like hell, but there were others a lot worse off than he was. "I...I'm going outside to look around."

The kid with the beer logo on his shirt said, "Be careful out there, dude. If these lights are still on, that third rail is still carrying a charge."

He nodded. "I know. Thanks."

He knew he'd never be able to muscle open the sliding doors, so he went to the end of the car opposite the collapsed tunnel and opened the door, stepping through between the two cars. The air was heavy and damp. He could still smell burning circuitry, but there was another odor in the air, one that told him what had happened. This had not been an accident. He hesitated. He wanted to look for the emergency lockers he knew were in the tunnel walls every so many yards. There would be first aid supplies, flashlights and maybe a radio. But there were other people who were hurt and might need help. People first, then reconnaissance.

He looked at the adjoining subway car. It had broken off from the car on the other side and lay, tilted, across both tracks. It had hit the far wall with enough force to imbed itself into the concrete. He opened the door and entered the car.

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Deakins looked up when Eames came to the door. "What's up, Alex?"

She came into the office, closing the door behind her. "Bobby hasn't come in yet, and I'm really worried about him."

"He's not here?" His face creased into a frown. "When did you talk to him last?"

"Last night around midnight. His friend Lewis called and said he talked to him before seven this morning. I went over to his apartment, but everything there is in order."

"That's not like him. You're sure he hasn't been here and stepped out?"

"He didn't get breakfast; he hasn't been here. And he's not answering his phone."

Deakins leaned back in his chair. "Ask around anyway. Check with Rodgers in the morgue and the guys in the lab. Let me know."

She sighed. "Ok. I'll check."

She hated chasing her tail. She knew he hadn't been in and asking around was only delaying things. But it would give Deakins some time to make some calls and maybe do what she had not been able to and find out what had happened to Goren.


	3. Trying to Stay Calm

**A/N: I remember last year's subway bombing scare and I thought 'what if...' That's where this came from. It's been a few years since I was on the NY subway, so some of this is from memory. I am assuming cell phone reception is blocked underground, particularly with electrical interference from the rails. I base this on the fact that I get no reception on the lower levels of parking garages, in elevators and even in my basement. I'm not sure if they have emergency lockers in the tunnels, but it makes sense to me that they would, especially since 9/11, so I put them there. If a couple of well placed explosions could bring down the WTC, a few similarly well placed bombs could collapse subway tunnels, in spite of due diligence. So forgive me for mutilating NY's transit system and on we go...**

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Eames went back to the squad after talking to the M.E. and the lab guys. No one had seen her partner. She knew it was just busy work Deakins had given her, but she resented wasting her time. She didn't know what else she could be doing, but nothing wasn't on her list. 

Deakins was waiting for her. "Get Logan and Barek and come in here, Alex."

The three detectives entered his office and closed the door. Deakins got right to the point. "I just got a call from the mayor's office. There was another terrorist attack on the city. At 7:28 this morning a series of five bombs went off in the subway. The damage was extensive and several tunnels collapsed. Alex, when Bobby doesn't drive, how does he get to work?"

Eames was pale as she slowly sat down. "The subway."

------------------------------------------

_People first, then reconnaissance._ The people were taken care of as best he could manage. Two surviving passengers were critical care nurses from Bellevue, and they had taken charge of caring for the injured. The people were in good hands.

Both ends of the tunnel had collapsed. They were trapped. All he'd told the others was that help would be coming, and he knew that it would. He just had no idea how long it would take. There were three cars not completely buried by the collapsed tunnels. The center car had the greatest number of serious injuries, so he had moved the less seriously injured into the first car. They were doing a decent job of comforting one another, with several of them focusing on the two children in there, to help them manage their own pain and fear. As for the far car, which was partially buried in the rubble, there had been no survivors.

He loosened his tie and slipped off his jacket, laying it across the rail at the back of the car he'd just left. It was bloody hot down there. He now had a new vision of hell to visit him in his nightmares. Great. He started off across the width of the tunnel. A noise to his right caught his attention. "Hey," the kid with the beer logo came trotting over to him. "Can I help you out here?"

"It would probably be best if you stayed in the car..."

"Come on, please. I wasn't hurt that bad and the old guy in there is talking about hell and deliverence. I get enough of that crap from my old man."

"Your dad's a preacher?"

"Yeah. And I'm a worthless screw-up wasting my time in college."

He continued toward the far wall, and the kid came along with him. He was taking his time; it hurt to breathe. "You go to Hudson?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm an English major. Believe it or not, I want to teach kids not just to read, but to savor what they read."

Goren looked at the kid. "That's ambitious." He held out his hand. "I'm Bobby."

"Steve." He accepted his hand, giving no thought to the blood on it. He looked around. "We're trapped down here, aren't we?"

"Uh, yeah, we are."

"So what do we do?"

"First, we help keep everyone calm."

"Mr. Hailfire and Brimstone in there isn't helping with that. He already made that girl with the black hair cry. And he's scaring the crap out of the little kids, like they don't have enough to be scared of. Now they think God's out to get them, and there ain't much scarier than that."

_People first_..."Can you check these walls here for emergency lockers? They're about the size of gym lockers. Should have a flashlight or two, first aid supplies, maybe a radio, a two-way if we're lucky."

"Sure."

"I'll be right back."

He headed back to the car, getting more annoyed with every step. Preaching was one thing, the First Amendment and all, but scaring people who were already terrified...no, that was unacceptable. Opening the door, the first thing he heard, besides the crying and the moaning, was the preacher. "This is God's punishment for our sins."

"Excuse me."

The preacher turned annoyed eyes toward him. "I am busy, son."

Goren leaned in close and spoke in a low, menacing voice. "No, you are done being busy. You are going to sit down and shut up and quit scaring these people. They need a man of God to reassure them, to tell them that God is with them. They don't need to be told that their sins brought this down upon us all, because that's not true. They have enough to be scared of right now. Now kindly do as I ask and don't piss me off. You really wouldn't like me when I'm mad."

The man studied him and decided he was serious. He took a seat on the floor near the sliding doors that were never going to open again. "Good choice," Goren grumbled, turning back toward the door. He'd forgotten he had taken off his jacket, and a young woman several feet away caught her breath sharply. "You have a gun!"

He turned around, reading terror in more than one set of eyes. "It's ok. I'm a cop." He pulled out his badge. "Don't panic."

He was surprised to see how quickly fear dissolved at the sight of his badge. He pointed at the preacher and pressed a finger to his lips. Then he left the car again. He was really feeling badly, and he had to push himself to move across the tunnel. "Over here," Steve called. "Is this what I'm looking for?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Looks like someone's been here before us. The first aid supplies are here, and two flashlights, but someone swiped the radio, assuming this strap here held one."

Goren nodded. "That would have been it. Damn."

"You ok?"

"Yeah. Hand me one of the flashlights."

Steve gave it to him and he turned it on. It had a powerful beam, he was relieved to see. Shining it up one way and back the other, he said, "There could be another locker at the edge of the rubble over there. Maybe we should look."

"Let me do it. You ought to sit down someplace."

"I'm ok." He headed with Steve toward the edge of the tunnel where the rubble began. "You know what we haven't seen?"

"What?"

"Rats."

"Isn't that a good thing?" He looked nervously around, shining the other flashlight at the ground.

"I don't know yet."

"Hey, here's the edge of one of those lockers. We're gonna have to unbury it." Goren stumbled over a rock the size of a watermelon. Steve caught him before he fell. "Let me do this. You go back and check on the others." The young man reached into his pocket and took out a small flat silver box, slipping it into Goren's hand. "Here. I don't want this getting damaged. Go on. I'll let you know when I get to it."

He paid little attention, slipping the box into his pocket and heading back for the car. He was still light-headed and his chest and abdomen were on fire. Several steps into the car, he stopped as everything suddenly tilted and spun past him, faster and faster until his surroundings dissolved into darkness.

---------------------------------------------

Deakins arrived at the command center with his three detectives. A tall man with a captain's badge on his lapel approached them. "Jimmy," he addressed Deakins, extending his hand. "It's good to see you."

"Hi, Al," he replied, accepting the man's hand.

"What brings you down here?"

"We came down to see if we can be of any help. One of my detectives may have been on one of those trains."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Why?"

"It's not looking good from this end. Several tunnels have collapsed and we haven't found anyone alive yet."

Deakins glanced at Eames, who was still pale but remained steady. She would never believe her partner didn't make it, not without proof. "If there's anything we can do to help...these are three of my best, Alex Eames, Mike Logan and Carolyn Barek. This is Captain Al Reynolds, from the two-five."

Reynolds looked at Eames. "Johnny's girl?"

"Yes, sir."

He nodded. "I have a very high opinion of your dad. Give him my regards." He looked at Logan. "Any relation to the Logan who punched out that congressman?"

"Yeah. I am that Logan."

Reynolds smiled. "Good job, boy. More cops should have guts like yours."

"Staten Island's not that big."

Reynolds laughed and looked at Barek. "I haven't heard anything about you."

"Just wait," she said. "I'm Logan's partner."

"You got good people here, Jimmy. I don't have much for you to do right now, but hang around. Things'll pick up."

They stepped away from the trailer and headed for the sidewalk. "Great," Eames grumbled. "We still have nothing to do."

Logan looked around. "Let's make a coffee run. At least it'll give us something to do. Captain? We're going for coffee. You want one?"

Deakins nodded and looked at Reynolds, who answered, "Sure. And a bagel with cream cheese, if you don't mind."

"No, problem," Logan answered. "This way, ladies."

They headed off down the street, Logan and Barek each glancing at Eames every few steps. Eames finally stopped and said, "Ok, you two. Quit it."

Barek answered, "Are you ok, Alex?"

"Yeah, I'm ok."

"You think he's down there," Logan said, as a matter of fact.

She nodded. "If he's not, he'll wish he was for worrying me like this."

Barek replied, "That's the point, though. He wouldn't worry you like this."

"I know." She sighed and continued walking. "I don't know what to do. I want to know what's going on, but at the same time I'm afraid to find out. I mean...what if there are no survivors? I don't...I can't deal with that."

She looked down at the sidewalk to hide the tears that threatened in her eyes. The thought of losing her partner to this act of terrorism brought forth an overwhelming mixture of rage and grief that she had difficulty managing. Sweet, gentle Bobby...the same man who could make hardened suspects burst into tears in the interrogation room had cradled her infant nephew in his arms and coaxed forth one of his first smiles.

She followed Logan and Barek into the coffee shop, where Logan ordered five coffees, a bagel and two pastramis on rye. Neither Barek nor Eames was hungry. As they headed back to the command center, Eames made an attempt at normal conversation. "So, you and Bobby had plans tonight, Mike?"

He nodded. "We were just gonna shoot some pool and have a few drinks."

Barek looked at him. "That's kind of tame for you."

"Yeah, well, Goren's not much for clubbing and picking up girls."

Eames tried to picture her partner at a club--any club--but she couldn't. That wasn't his scene. And then it occurred to her that she really didn't know just what his 'scene' was. He liked taking her to dinner, and he liked to dance. But his idea of dancing wasn't the hip-gyrating hustle of the clubs. No, Bobby preferred the more intimate one-to-one dancing they'd found at a few of the restaurants he'd taken her to. And she'd found that she loved to dance with him. She sighed.

"What is it?" Barek asked.

"Nothing. Mike's right. Bobby doesn't like clubbing. It's too impersonal for him."

"Do you?" Logan asked.

"Yes, but I haven't been in awhile."

"Do you miss it?"

She gave that some thought, mentally comparing the noise, lights and dancing of the clubs with a quiet night of dinner and dancing in her partner's arms. "No. Not at all."

"Well, if you ever want to go and you need a..." He'd almost said 'date' but using that word with Eames made him nervous. "...uh, company, just let me know."

They arrived back at the command center and handed the two captains their lunches. Then they moved off, out of the way, to wait until there was something for them to do.


	4. A Little Bit of Hope

His head rested on something soft, and gentle hands touched his forehead. His mind's eye could picture only his partner, but then pain bit into his awareness. He groaned as the pictures in his mind dissolved. "Alex..." he said softly.

Opening his eyes, he saw several people hovering over him. His head rested in the lap of the Goth girl, and it was her hands that smoothed the hair back from his forehead, intermittently wiping the blood from his face with a handkerchief. Her hands were cool and vaguely, he wondered why. "Hey there," Steve grinned. "You feeling any better?"

"Not really."

He started to get up, but she held him down. "You should rest," she said quietly.

"Thanks, but I really need to keep busy...uh..." He was fishing for a name he couldn't remember, not recalling she had never given it to him.

"Kelsey."

She let him get up, and Steve held out a steadying hand when he faltered. He pressed a hand to his temple, then looked at Steve. "Um, did you get the locker...?"

"Yeah. Same stuff, and no radio."

He headed for the door, a little steadier on his feet. Steve followed him off the car and into the heat of the tunnel. "Why's it so hot down here?" Steve wondered. "We're underground; it's supposed to be cool."

"Not when you've had incendiaries going off."

"Is that what happened?"

He nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're still battling the fires."

"So is it good we're here?"

"We got lucky, that's all."

Goren stopped to rest on a boulder near the far track. Steve watched him. "You still don't feel well."

He shook his head. "But we have to see if there's any kind of breach in this rubble... you know, hot or cool air movement, light, noise...anything that's... different..."

Steve leaned against the cement wall near them. "The wall still feels cool."

Goren nodded. "Good."

"Um, is there a problem with oxygen or anything here?"

"No. Why?"

"I wondered if it's be ok if I smoked."

"I don't see why not."

"You have my case."

"Your case?"

"Yeah, the silver case I gave you, back before you collapsed."

"Oh..." He patted his pockets, withdrawing the case and handing it to him.

"Thanks." He opened it, looking at the cigarettes inside. "Um, you know...it might make you feel better if you, you know..."

Goren looked at him as he held up a joint. He laughed softly and shook his head. "No, man. Put it away."

"If you're sure..."

"First of all, there's a couple of little kids on that car. And second..."

He pulled his badge out of his pocket. "Aw, shit..." Steve muttered. "Hey, look..."

Goren raised his hand. "Tell me you didn't notice the gun on my hip."

"Gun?" He leaned over and looked. "Well, shit. No, I didn't. I'm not one to check out guys, you know? Guess I'd never make a detective." He sighed. "I'm screwed, huh?"

The detective shook his head. "Forget it. I'm not narcotics any more, and I got bigger things to worry about than busting you for a joint or two. It's not worth the paperwork anyway. Just keep it put away."

"Thanks, Bobby." He took out a regular cigarette and lit it. He offered it to Goren, who accepted it and took a drag, handing it back. They were silent for a few moments before Steve said, "Who's Alex?"

"Alex? Where'd you get that?"

"Before you woke up, you said 'Alex.'"

He did? He couldn't remember it, or why he would have said her name. "Alex is my partner."

Steve nodded. "You think he's looking for you?"

"I know she is. She'll have figured out I took the train this morning."

"She? Cool...a female partner."

Goren's mouth twitched in amusement. "She's a great partner."

"So why'd you call her name?"

"I don't know. Maybe because whenever I get my ass in trouble she's always there to pull me out."

Steve laughed. "That happen often?"

"Too often."

"You don't seem like a screw-up."

"I'm not a screw-up. I just...don't always follow protocol. But she always backs me up, whether she agrees with me or not."

"Isn't that what a partner's supposed to do? Even I know that much."

"Supposed to. She's the only partner I've had who really does."

"Well, then, it's good you have her."

He nodded. "Yeah, it is." He studied Steve. "You're perceptive."

"It's a curse."

Goren laughed. "Maybe so, but there are worse things to be cursed with."

Steve looked at the wall of debris, pulling out a flashlight and letting it play its way up toward the top of the tunnel. "You really think there's some kind of breach in this?"

"No, not really."

"Then why mention it?"

"What do we have better to do?"

"How hard did you hit your head?"

Goren smiled. "You're starting to sound like a friend of mine. It's not my head that hurts."

Steve continued looking up at the wall. "No? What then?"

"Mostly my gut, and my chest."

"Let me take a look."

"What for?"

"My dad may be a preacher, but my mom is a physician with a clinic up in Spanish Harlem. I spent my summers helping her out. It can't hurt, can it?"

Slowly, Goren unbuttoned his shirt. Steve looked at his chest, running his hand carefully along his abdomen, watching for a reaction. He frowned when the big cop winced. "I think I'll take a climb up this wall and see what I can find."

"Why?"

"Let's just say the sooner we get you out of here, the better."

"There are folks a lot worse off than I am who need to get out of here."

"Not for long, Bobby."

He turned toward the wall and began to climb.

----------------------------------------------------

Eames had a small piece of asphalt in her hand, and she was dropping it in front of the ants in the gutter, to see if she could alter their paths. Logan came over and sat beside her, watching her for a few minutes. "You keep missing."

"I'm not trying to drop in _on_ them, Logan."

"Oh. Well, then you're dead on."

"What do you want?"

"I just got done talking to Captain Reynolds. They've found a section of track that was spared the cave-in. Dumb ass luck. The structure was weakened, but it held, and they're estimating at least two, maybe three cars are trapped there. There could be survivors."

"So what are we doing about it?"

"City Hall is sending two engineers down to look at it. There's an old abandoned tunnel running parallel to the collapsed one. It's still functional. They're gonna take one of their trucks down and see if they can't get through to that area and see if anyone made it. Don't get your hopes up too high; it doesn't look good. But they're gonna try."

"Do they know which train got trapped?"

"I'm sure they do but they're not saying."

"If they're looking for volunteers..."

He pulled a hard hat from behind his back. "Say no more. Deakins offered our services. We're in for a fun-filled tour of the underground with two of New York's most boring and a construction crew, who will probably get a bigger kick out of you and Barek going along than I will."

She set the hat on her head and got up. "That's ok, Mike. We trust you to protect us from those leches."

He followed her toward the subway entrance near the corner. "Protect you? Hell, I'm counting on you and Barek to protect _me_."


	5. Found

In the back of the pickup, Logan leaned against the side of the bed, letting his mind wander. He had not been exaggerating when he told Eames they were heading in with New York's most boring. While both women appeared interested in the abbreviated history of the New York subway system they were being subjected to, he could care less. He was worried about Goren. While he had no doubt Eames was, too, and she was listening to be polite, it was common knowledge that he had no manners, so he was free to ignore the man and look bored.

"Um..." he interrupted.

"Yes, detective? Do you have a question?"

The engineer's name was Donald Greenfield and he looked the part. Skinny, glasses, ugly green suit and mismatched tie. In spite of the fact that Goren was a genius and dressed well, Logan was convinced that having a high IQ did not necessarily mean you could match your socks. "Yeah, I do. Did they get those fires out?"

"The ones that were in this area, yes. The ones at the other end of the line, no. But we'll be safe here."

"Safe? Is that a relative term, in this case?"

"Well, yes. In this case."

"How safe is this tunnel?"

"Safer than the one we're investigating."

"That tells me nothing, Don."

"The tunnel we are investigating has been structually weakened by the explosions. We are going to start off by drilling a one foot square hole through from this tunnel to that. The wall's about two meters thick. We'll see what that does. Assuming anyone survived the crash, we'll widen the hole as we can, with proper precautions, of course."

"Oh, of course. What kind of precautions?"

"Stabilization precautions, naturally."

"Sorry. I don't mean to be an idiot."

"That just comes natural to him," Barek added.

The truck began to slow. The second engineer, Terry Fellows, looked less the part than his buddy did. At least his clothes matched...and he had more muscle and no glasses. He stopped the truck and got out, looking around the tunnel. Slowly, he nodded. "Ok, guys. This is it. The cave-in stops right about here, and continues down that way a couple of hundred feet. So we have this cavern of unstable tunnel right about here."

"Now what?" Eames asked.

"Now we do a few tests on the wall to find the most stable place to drill. We'll do our test hole and go from there. Most of all, pray we don't bring the whole damn thing down on whoever's in there..._if_ anyone is."

Eames looked at Logan and Barek. Logan rested a hand on her shoulder and asked the engineers, "How big an 'if' is that?"

Fellows met his eyes. "Considering the extent of the damage and the size of the explosions...it's a really big 'if,' detective."

Greenfield leaned closer to them. "Just have a seat and try to relax. We'll let you know when we're ready to drill. We've got eight guys from Wood Construction coming down. They've done this before. It'll be ok."

"Come on," Logan muttered to the two women. They returned to the truck and he lowered the tailgate. Then they sat and waited.

------------------------------------------

"So why do you prefer hanging out here in the tunnel, Bobby? You still looking for rats?"

"Actually, yes."

"I had to ask."

"Why are you hanging out here with me?"

"I just want to keep an eye on you."

"Why? In case I collapse again?"

"Yeah."

He sighed. "I, um, I don't want to scare the kids, or the passengers in there who are on the edge of freaking out."

"Then you know how bad you're hurt?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. Couple of fractured ribs...I've had those before. But I'm...I'm bleeding, internally...not fast, but too fast to clot...and fast enough to put me...in danger...as more time passes." He sighed. "Liver or spleen laceration? Hard to tell...but it hurts like hell...burns, too."

Steve looked down at the ground. "Sorry I couldn't find a way through."

"Thanks for trying."

"You sure you don't want that joint?"

Goren laughed, wincing when the pain flared. "I'm sure, Steve. But thanks for the offer."

"Let me know if you change your mind." He sighed, picking up a rock and throwing it, frustrated. "I'll stay out here with ya."

"You really don't have to...there's nothing you can do."

Steve leaned back against the wall. "No, there's not, and I'm sorry about that. But no one...no one should have to die alone."

Goren didn't really want to think about that...but Steve was right. If they didn't get out of here soon, there would be no leaving for many of them, including him. There wasn't much else for him to do but sit and think...and his mind turned to Eames. While he was glad she wasn't here, in a way, part of him wished she was. He...didn't want to die without seeing her again...at least to tell her it was ok...at least to tell her...that he loved her...

---------------------------------------------

Goren had dozed off. Steve watched him nervously. He liked this big cop and he didn't want to see him die...but there was nothing he could do.

"Steve?"

He looked toward the car, where Kelsey was making her way across the tracks to them. "Hey, Kelsey. Everyone in there ok?"

"As ok as we've been, I guess. The kids are hungry and scared."

"Heck, I'm hungry and scared."

She looked down at the sleeping cop. "How is he?"

"He's ok."

"Don't lie. I'm not a little kid. I know he was hurt and he's been trying to hide it. I can see that he hurts."

Steve sighed. "He's not doin' so good."

"So why are you guys sitting out here?"

"He's looking for rats."

"Why? I don't think any of us are _that_ hungry."

Steve laughed. "He's not hunting, Kelsey."

"Then why...?"

"I have no idea, but he thinks that not seeing any is a bad thing." He looked around the tunnel. "Like being here at all is good..."

"Did he...collapse again?"

"No. He's just sleeping. Sleep won't hurt him any. Maybe it'll delay the inevitable...but, well, he's a smart guy. He knows how bad he's hurt."

Goren groaned and shifted, waking to more pain than he'd gone to sleep with. He sat up slowly, holding an arm tight across his abdomen. "Steve?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Feeling any better?"

"No." He frowned at the second figure standing in the shadows, but he had no idea where his flashlight was. "Who's over there with you?"

"It's just me, Bobby."

"Alex?"

"No. Kelsey."

"Oh, Kelsey...sorry."

Steve squatted at his side. "Bobby, Alex isn't here."

"She...no, she's not." He rested his head back against the wall of debris. He wasn't comfortable, but he couldn't find a comfortable position any more so he gave up.

A trail of dust dribbled from the ceiling and a loud grinding came from the far wall. "What the hell...?"

Slowly, painfully, Goren got to his feet, helped by the two young people. They started to move him away from the wall, but he stopped and pulled away. "No..." He started toward the vibrating noise, looking warily up at the roof of the tunnel. More dust filtered down, followed by a couple of chunks of concrete. "Shit..."

He pressed himself against the wall, joined by Steve and Kelsey. "What is it?" Steve asked.

"They're drilling."

"They found us?"

"I don't know, but they're looking, at the very least. If they keep it up, though, they are going to bring the rest of the tunnel down around us."

"So how do we make them stop?"

"We can't. We just stay here and pray they get through before they shake that roof loose."

------------------------------------

Logan strolled over to where the construction workers were drilling. He leaned toward Fellows, whom he considered the more competent engineer. "How're they doing?"

"They're almost through."

"They bring down the rest of the tunnel?"

"I sure hope not."

The cry went up. "We got through!"

Eames and Barek joined Logan as they approached the hole. Fellows squatted down. "Hey...anybody in there?"

A voice came back, one they did not recognize. "Hey...it's about time!"

"How many folks are in there?"

They heard muttered voices. "Not sure the exact number. A hundred, maybe less. Want me to get a head count?"

"No, that's not necessary. We'll get you guys out of there. What happened in there while we were drilling?"

"Parts of the roof came caving in."

"Damn."

"Hey, you guys gotta hurry up. We got some critically hurt people in here, and they won't last much longer."

"We'll work as quickly as we can. You got a name?"

"Steve. Steve Cavanaugh."

"Ok, Steve. You keep talking to us and tell us what happens when we do anything on this end."

"Sure."

Fellows stepped away, nodding at the three detectives. Eames squatted beside the hole. "Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm a detective..."

"Eames?"

"Bobby? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Are you ok?"

"Am I ok? I didn't have a subway fall down around my ears, Goren! How are you?"

"I...um, I've been better."

He leaned against the wall and slid down to sit beside the hole. He groaned involuntarily. "Bobby?"

"I'm here."

"How badly are you hurt?"

"I, uh...I really hurt, Eames." He couldn't lie to her, much as he didn't want her to worry any more than she already was.

She could hear it in his voice. "We're going to get you out of there. You hang in there."

"I'll try."

Try? She looked up at Logan and Barek. Logan squatted beside her; she was sitting with her back against the wall. "Hey, Bobby?"

"Hey, Mike."

"'There is no try; there is only do.'" He did a fair impression of Yoda.

Goren laughed. "Don't make me laugh, Logan. It hurts."

"I don't want to see your partner here cry, man."

"Neither do I."

"Ok, then. I guess we won't be shooting pool tonight, huh?"

"Sorry about that."

"Not a problem. Instead of going to Delaney's, shooting pool and getting wasted, we'll just sit down here in a damp and crumbling subway station, talking and dodging the chunks of concrete that fall from the ceiling."

"Leave it to you to see the bright side of things."

"If that's the bright side, I'm not sure I want to see the dark side."

"That would be sitting on this side of the hole."

Logan had no argument for that. "There is one thing I like better about this new scenario."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Eames and Barek are here with us."

"That does make it better."

"If you wanted to hang out with us," Barek pointed out. "All you had to do was ask. This is a little extreme, boys."

Grinning, Logan leaned forward and rested his head against the cool wall. "We never do anything halfway, huh, Bobby?"

"Never."

He sighed. "We'll stay here till they get you out."

"Thanks...but don't put yourselves at risk."

"No problem. We have hard hats."

He laughed again, doubling over. The pain was definitely getting worse. "Mike?"

"Yeah?"

"Get them to hurry, so I can kick your ass if you make me laugh again."

"Sorry, man. Habit."

"I'll take care of him for you, Bobby," Barek said, smacking her partner across the back of the head.

"Ow, hey!"

"Be a little considerate, you baboon."

"Steve?" Eames called, smiling at their antics.

"Yeah?"

"Are you staying there with him?"

"Yep. There's two of us here with him. Kelsey and me. We'll watch him."

She sighed. "Bobby?"

"Still here..."

"Tell me how badly you're hurt."

"You don't need to know, Eames. Just sit there, and talk to me."

"You sound like you're in pain."

"I am. Talk to me. Please."

Talk to him...what could she say...just...talk... "I talked to Lewis this morning."

"And?"

"It was the alternator. He wants me to go along with you when you pick it up."

"Sure. If you want to."

Her voice became quiet. "I was worried about you."

He knew she would be. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"I didn't mean for you to worry."

"Ok...I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"Eames...oh, ok, I get your point."

"Good."

He smiled. Steve was watching him. He seemed more at ease now, talking to her. Steve relaxed a little, hanging on to the hope that he was going to be ok...but it was still a small hope..

* * *

**A/N: Naturally, Yoda belongs to George Lucas...**


	6. A Major Complication

Steve was watching the ceiling above them nervously. Kelsey was sitting beside Goren, leaning against him for comfort. Goren had placed an arm around her, and she felt safer. He was talking softly to Eames, Barek and Logan, focusing on them, trying to stay awake.

On the other side, Eames and Logan were sitting on either side of the hole, and Barek was sitting in front of Logan, facing him. There wasn't anything else for them to do but talk. They felt helpless, and Eames in particular hated feeling that way. Around them, the engineers and construction crews were preparing to drill their way through the wall. They assured the three detectives they were working as fast as they could. The last thing they wanted was to cause a cave-in on the other side.

Eames was trying to keep the conversation light, but it wasn't easy. She couldn't see him and she wasn't as good at reading his voice. She needed to see the smile in his eyes. The only way she could tell if he was bluffing was by looking into his eyes.

"Eames?"

"What is it, Bobby?"

"I..I need to tell you something." He had to say it, before he never got the chance to tell her.

"You can tell me when you get out here."

"N-no. I-I have to tell you...now. I, um...I did something that I wasn't supposed to do."

"Yeah. You took the train to work this morning."

He laughed softly. "No. That was fate, Alex. I was meant to do that. It-it's something else."

"What did you do, Bobby?"

"I, um, let myself...get too close. I...I fell in love, Alex. With you. And...I need for you to know that."

She felt herself choke up and she leaned closer to the hole, her only connection to him. She could only barely hear him. "Bobby..." she trailed off, fighting back the tears that threatened to overhwlem her. "It's ok, Bobby. It's a mistake we both made."

He smiled. It was ok. He sighed softly. "Remember that, ok? Whatever happens."

"I will...if you will."

"I promise, Alex."

He leaned his head back against the wall and watched Steve, who was pacing restlessly in much the same way he would be pacing, if he could. He laid his hand across his abdomen, groaning softly to himself, trying to keep his pain internalized so the others wouldn't worry.

Steve, however, did worry. He felt better, knowing there were people on the other side getting ready to get them out. But it had already been an hour and Bobby wasn't getting any better. He and Kelsey had been among the fortunate ones with minor injuries. They had already lost more than half of the critically injured, but he hadn't told Bobby that. He'd gone ahead and done that head count. There were 72 of them, and at least a dozen of them wouldn't make it another hour. Only thirty-two of them had escaped critial injury; the critically ill who still survived were settled in the middle car. He had gone into the cars to let the others know that rescue was imminent; they just had to hang in there. He'd left out the minor detail of the unstable ceiling...

He listened to Bobby's soft voice, and he knew the reason it was so quiet was because he didn't have the energy to speak louder. The man he'd been this morning, unable to settle down and keep still, constantly reassuring the others and trying to figure a way out, was gone. His injuries were taking their toll. It was nearly suppertime by now. Sadly, he realized that the big cop wouldn't make it until the end of the day. Those guys on the other end had better move their asses.

"Ok, in there..." Fellows' voice carried through the hole. "Steve, is it?"

"Yeah."

"We're gonna start drilling. Let us know what happens."

"Go for it."

As they got the drill ready, Logan looked at Eames, uncertain. "Um, are you guys sure about this? I mean all that vibrating..."

"It should be fine, detective," Greenfield replied. "We don't tell you how to be a cop; you don't tell us how to be engineers. Ok?"

Logan raised his hands. "Go for it. I hope you know what you're doing."

The noise was deafening as they started the drill. It got louder when they pressed it into the wall. Steve watched the ceiling as concrete dust streamed from dozens of places. He saw a few pieces fall...then a few more..."Stop!" he yelled through the hole.

"Stop!" He heard Logan relay the order.

Too late. He turned his back to the cavern, instinctively using his body to cover Kelsey and Goren as a huge part of the ceiling came crashing down. Goren had also turned his body toward Kelsey to shield her. A dust cloud filled the carvern, blowing out through the hole into the adjoining tunnel. Logan swore. "Bobby! Hey, what happened in there?"

The dust settled, and Steve turned to assess the damage. "No..."

"You guys ok?"

"We're ok," Goren answered. He got unsteadily to his feet, staring at the wall of debris in front of them. "Come on, Steve."

"Bobby..."

Goren looked at him, and the argument left the college student. He fell silent and followed him to the end of the tunnel. Kelsey slid sideways to sit beside the hole. "Um, who's out there?"

The three detectives exchanged looks. Eames replied, "I'm Alex."

"Alex...you're Bobby's friend. I'm Kelsey."

"Where is Bobby, Kelsey? What happened in there?"

"The ceiling came down. He and Steve went to see if the others got caught in it."

Eames glared at the two engineers, while Logan snapped, "I thought we were trying to _avoid_ bringing down the house."

"We knew it was a risk, detectives. We told you that. That tunnel in there is unstable."

"So let's use a friggin' drill and vibrate the damn thing into collapsing!" Logan yelled. "Why not use a sledge hammer, or better yet, dynamite? I asked you..."

"Logan..." He stopped and turned as Deakins came out of the shadows of the tunnel. "What's going on here?"

"Well, cap, there were about 70 people alive in there until these geniuses started drilling. They collapsed the tunnel and now we don't know for sure."

"Who's finding out?"

"Bobby and another guy trapped in there with him," Eames answered.

"So Bobby is in there?"

"Yes. And don't look so relieved yet. He's hurt."

"But he's up and about, isn't he?"

"He's forcing himself...probably pushing too hard. This isn't good."

"Great. So now we're what? Waiting?"

"Exactly."

In the tunnel, Steve was already on the other side of the mountain of debris, waiting for Bobby to make his way down to him. He was getting increasingly unsteady, and Steve was getting increasingly nervous. But he reached the bottom without incident, other than needing a few minutes to recuperate. "You ok?"

"I have to be, don't I? Come on."

The cave-in had buried the second car. "Damn!" Goren rubbed his forehead. He forced himself to calm down, knowing that if he got worked up...the consequences could be, well, fatal. Part of the first car, the one he and Steve had been in, was also buried. They entered the car on the opposite end. Goren looked around. The two children were huddled in a corner, in the arms of an older woman who had taken it upon herself to care for them. The girl, who was about ten, was wrapped in his jacket. The little boy, no more than five, looked at him with big, terrified eyes. He smiled at the kids, doing everything he could to hide his own ever-increasing pain. Shoving his hand in his pocket, he pulled out his badge, handing it to the little boy and ruffling his hair. For probably the first time all day, the child smiled, holding tightly to the gold shield. The preacher was still by the sliding door, but instead of shouting about sin and hell and punishment, he was praying...frantically. Goren looked at Steve. There were only about twenty people in the car. Steve nodded. "All right, folks," he said. "We're going for a little walk. You're going to follow me and we're going to climb over that wall of rubble out there. On the other side, we've got some engineers and a couple of cops trying to get us out. At this point, it's safer out there, over by the far wall, than it is in here. Come on, let's go."

As they filed off the car, Steve pulled Goren to the side and whispered, "There were over forty people in that other car...all the critically ill were over and the nurses were with them. We had seventy people waiting to be rescued. Now there's what? Twenty?"

Goren fought down his anger and the helplessness he knew was counter-productive. "There's nothing we can do, Steve. All that's left to us is getting these folks to safety. They are alive and we _can_ help them."

"You're awfully pale, Bobby. You doing ok?"

"Actually, no." He pushed Steve toward the door. "Go."

Steve moved to the door, looking back when he got there. Goren was leaning on the back of a seat, eyes closed, preparing himself for the climb back to the other side. The pain in his gut had long eclipsed the pain of the fractured ribs in his chest. This was it. This was going to do him in. When they got back to the other side, he wasn't going anyplace else under his own power. He took a deep breath and looked up. Steve's face was clearly worried. But all he said was "Man, you're one tough guy."

He left the car. Shortly after, Goren followed. Steve climbed up the debris mountain first, after pointing to the preacher, the business man, three other men and two women, all healthy, able adults with mostly minor injuries, and telling them, "You guys come up after me and spread yourselves out so we can help the others get up to the top. Bobby?"

Goren nodded. "I'll follow after everyone makes it up."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure, Steve. Now go."

Steve scrambled up the mountain, followed by the others. Once in position, Goren sent the children up first, followed by their caretaker. The rest followed. Ok...he'd done his job. They were as safe as they were going to be down here. They were over there, near Eames and Logan, who would see that they were taken care of once they got through the wall. Until then, Steve and Kelsey would take care of them. He took a couple of steps forward and collapsed.


	7. Rescued

Steve stayed on top of the rubble and waited. "Steve?" Kelsey called to him. "What's going on?"

"I'm waiting for Bobby, but he's not coming. Don't let them start drilling again. I'm going back down to see what's wrong."

"Ok. I'll tell them."

She made her way back to the hole. "Alex?"

"Yes, Kelsey?"

"Don't let them start drilling again. Something's wrong."

Eames felt her heart leap into her throat and she looked at Logan. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, but Bobby never came back up from the cars."

Panic grabbed at Eames' heart. "No..." she whispered.

Logan turned to the engineers. "You guys stand down with that vibrator. Everyone's not clear yet."

Greenfield frowned at him while Fellows moved away, chuckling. He liked that cop and the way he was busting Greenfield's chops. Someone needed to do it and he had to work with the little bastard.

Logan's attention turned immediately to Eames, and he saw the fear in her eyes. "He's gonna be ok," he said quietly. "He's too damn stubborn to die, and you know it." His eyes shifted as he glanced at his partner, then looked around for Deakins to be sure he was out of earshot. "Besides," he added, leaning toward her, his voice low. "He's not gonna leave you, Alex."

Barek nodded, also leaning in. "He's right, Alex. He won't let this take him out. Have faith in him."

She nodded. "I've always had faith in him," she said, choking down the lump in her throat. "I won't give up on him."

She looked back at the hole, but she couldn't help worrying. He hadn't wanted to tell her what was wrong with him. That was never a good sign.

--------------------------------------------

Steve dropped to his knees beside Goren. "Come on, man, wake up."

No answer.

"Dammit, Bobby..." He didn't know what to do. "Come on, please..." He threw his hands up. "Listen to me. Now I'm whining. Come on, dude, get up. Don't make me go back there and tell your partner this is it. You gotta get up."

Goren coughed, groaning and moving against the pain. Steve grabbed his arm. "Come on, so they can get us the hell out of here and you can get to a hospital." He looked up at the pile of rubble. The word 'insurmountable' popped into his head but he chased it away. "I can help you, Bobby, but I can't do it all myself. Wake up, dammit."

Goren forced himself to open his eyes. He licked his lips, but his mouth was dry, too. He was cold, and that wasn't right. He recognized the signs of hypovolemic shock, mildly surprised to find them in himself. Pain didn't cause shock symptoms, but blood loss did. Where was he bleeding? Slowly, realization crept through the muddy waters of his mind as he remembered, and the severity of his condition again came back with shocking clarity. This kid was risking his life to no avail. Shaking his head, he muttered, "I'm done, Steve."

"No way. I won't let you give up. Come on. I'll help you. They won't drill until we get back there, so if you want us rescued, any of us, you're getting up and letting me help you over this pile of rock."

"Don't put that on me."

"I'll put anything I have to on you to get your ass up. Come on."

"You sure your name's not Logan?"

Steve frowned in confusion, but figured he was delirious. Delirious or not, though, he was going to get this cop over to the other side, where everyone else was waiting.

"Come on. I know it hurts, but you're just gonna have to bite the bullet."

He grabbed Goren's arm and helped him stagger to his feet and stay upright. It took almost more effort than Goren had left.Steve looked upward. "You gotta help me here, man. I can't carry you."

"I'll try." _There is no try_...he thought of Logan, and he laughed softly. Steve frowned. He really was losing it. He remembered a patient who'd come into his mother's clinic with a gunshot wound. The guy was bleeding faster than his mother could get fluids into him.He didn't make it; they'd lost him not long after he'd started laughing at nothing. He looked back in his mind and heard his mother's voice: _Hypoxia can cause giddiness due to lack of sufficient oxygen to the brain_. Time was almost gone for Bobby.

A stone from above came tumbling down toward them. Steve turned, gently pushing Bobby to the side as it bounced past them. "Hey, kid?" came a voice from above them.

"Who's that?"

One of the men who had helped him get the others over the debris climbed down and looked at them. "Need a hand? I figured as much help as this cop has been, the least I can do is see if I can help."

Steve nodded. "Thanks. What's your name?"

"Roger." He looked at Goren. "You got a friend named Logan?"

Goren nodded, but he was using all his remaining strength not to collapse again.

"He's...persuasive."

Goren raised an eyebrow curiously. What'd Logan do now?

Carefully, so they wouldn't cause him further harm, the two men helped Goren get over the debris and back to the hole. "Thank God," Kelsey muttered. She turned her face toward the opening. "Alex?"

"I'm still here, Kelsey."

"They're back."

"Bobby?"

"Yeah," he answered softly.

"Don't do that again."

"Sorry."

"How do you feel?"

"Don't ask."

She looked at Logan who was pointing at Fellows and hollaring, "Get them out of there, man. Get 'em out now."

"Tell them to get as close to the wall as they can, in case the rest of that tunnel comes down. The overhang should protect them enough, I hope."

"You are not filling me with confidence here."

"I'm giving you what I have, detective."

Logan leaned down. "Have everyone brace themselves against the wall, Bobby."

The drill started up again. "Here goes nothing."

It was slow going as the drill made its way through the concrete. In the tunnel, the ceiling was crumbling, and pieces were falling, but there was no further collapse as they proceeded. Two men stood by the woman who was protecting the children, shielding her with their bodies as she shielded the kids. Steve knelt by Goren and Kelsey had once again rested his head in her lap, so it wouldn't be resting on the concrete floor. Goren was drifting in and out of consciousness and no longer responding to either of them. Roger stood near them, quietly studying the big cop who had risked his life for them and wondering what made a man do it...particularly if he wasn't operating under threat of bodily harm from another.

The floodlights from the abandoned tunnel broke through the wall as the drill broke through from the other side. Steve looked up, still nervous, as chunks continued to drop from the ceiling. He heard more of the ceiling collapse on the far side of the tunnel. All that was left was to widen the hole enough so they could get out. They were running out of time. He continued trying to talk to Goren, but he wasn't even groaning any more. He'd retreated from the pain for good. He felt for a pulse. It was weak and thready, but still there. His breathing was still labored. Steve looked at Kelsey and shrugged. He didn't know what to say.

The drill fell silent. "What the hell's going on?" Logan snapped.

"We gottta change the bit. Give us a minute."

"You know, I don't know how many minutes my friend in there has. So unless you want to be spitting out teeth for a week, get back to that drilling."

"Easy, Logan," Deakins warned. "We've got a team of paramedics standing by. Did he tell you how he was hurt?"

Eames shook her head. "Bobby?"

Steve hesitated a moment, but he decided not to lie to the voice on the other side. "He...he's not responding any more, Alex."

Logan's voice came back. "Can you tell us what's wrong with him? What do we tell the paramedics so they can be ready?"

"Best we can figure, it's internal bleeding. Nothing else fits. He cracked a couple of ribs, too, and got a head injury, but that didn't seem bad. At least no worse than what I got. His biggest complaint was his gut."

"Thanks, Steve."

Deakins disappeared down the tunnel to talk to the waiting team. Logan looked at Eames. "We'll get him out."

"I know. But will it be in time, Mike?"

"Sure it will." He turned back toward the construction teams. "I'm not hearing your drill!"

A few seconds later, the drill roared back to life.

----------------------------------

As soon as the hole was big enough, the drill was tossed to the side and people were guided through the opening. Once they were through, Kelsey came out, followed by Steve and Roger, who carried Goren between them and gently set him on the floor just outside the opening. Eames dropped to her knees beside her partner, shaking her head and touching his cheek. "You're a mess," she whispered. _But you're all mine_, she thought.

Deakins ushered the paramedics through, and Logan gently took Eames by the arm and led her off to the side. They watched as the paramedics struggled to get an IV started, then finally hung a bag of saline, wide open, and got him onto their stretcher. "Let's get him out of here," one of them said. He looked at Eames and Logan. "St. Vincent's is closest."

Logan nodded. "Go, man. We'll be there shortly."

Eames leaned against the wall as Logan turned to the survivors who were milling about. "Steve?"

"That's me."

He was surprised to see that Steve was just a kid; he'd done more than a man's job. He held his hand out. "Thanks, for everything you did."

"He's a good guy. I did what I could to help." He looked toward Eames. "You're Alex?"

She nodded. "Thank you," was about all she could manage.

Kelsey came forward. "I'm Kelsey..." she said. "I'm sorry we couldn't do more for him."

Eames responded simply by giving the girl a hug. Logan pulled his card from his pocket and handed one to Steve and one to Kelsey. "Give me a call tomorrow and I'll let you know how he is."

"Thank you," Steve answered.

"Now go get yourselves checked out."

Logan looked around again. "Hey, which one of you is Roger?"

"That's me. Are you Detective Logan?"

"I am. Thanks for your help."

"Like I had a choice."

"Hey, we all respond differently under pressure. I just gave you a little more pressure to respond under."

Roger gave him a dirty look, then looked at Eames. "I do hope he's going to be ok. He kept a lot of people calm in there. And he shut that damn preacher up."

He headed off toward the waiting triage team as another voice came to them from behind. "Detectives?"

They turned to face an older lady, who had her arms protectively draped over the shoulders of two children. Eames recognized Goren's jacket over the shoulders of the girl, and his badge was still in a death grip in the little boy's hands. "This jacket and badge belong to your friend."

She waved a hand. "It's ok. I don't think he'll be in a hurry to get them back." She handed her card to the woman. "Just give me a call whenever."

"You're kind, too. Thank you. Come on, kids."

"Let's get over to the hospital, Mike."

Barek said, "I'm going to stay here and help out. I'll call you as soon as I get clear from here."

"Just be careful, ok?" Logan answered as he followed Eames back toward the trucks. There were half a dozen of them sitting there now, and Fellows was by the last truck on the track. "Hey, guys. Want a lift?"

"Yeah. We've got to get to the hospital."

"Hop in."

"What about Greenfield?"

"I guess I'll come back and get him," he said with a laugh. "But let me get you guys out so you can check on your friend."

"Thanks, man."

They got in the truck with the engineer and sat in silence during the drive back up to the station near the command post.


	8. Waiting

Logan watched the fish swim in the big tank. "Why is it all these surgical waiting rooms seem to have these huge fish tanks?"

"Bobby says they're calming."

He looked at her. "You guys have discussed it?"

"We were waiting for a witness to come out of surgery one time. Deakins had us stay to protect him when he found out the Masuccis were after him. Bobby was all for going into the OR, but that's where I drew the line and we waited in the surgical waiting area."

Logan laughed. "I guess he wouldn't be put off by a little surgery, would he?"

"Hell, no. Once you've seen him stick a finger in an open wound on a corpse...well, I'm not letting him anywhere near an operating room. At least, not when he's not the one on the table..."

Logan tapped on the glass of the tank, then wandered over to the coffee machine. "They all have crappy coffee, too. Want another cup?"

"No, thanks. My stomach hurts enough."

"You're not feeling any better, are you?"

"No. Come on, Mike. They couldn't tell us he'll be okay. He lost a lot of blood. Almost too much. His organs were shutting down. He wouldn't have lasted much longer."

"Yeah, well, the point is he lasted long enough. What time is it, anyway?"

"Quarter after twelve."

He took a sip of hot bitter coffee. "He's been in there awhile. I say that's good because it means he's still alive."

"I guess. But couldn't it also mean they had to do a lot to him? Or maybe they ran into trouble?"

"Trouble is Goren's middle name, isn't it? Same as mine, if you ask my partner."

"You're not making me feel any better, Mike."

"Sorry."

They looked up as Barek and Deakins came into the room. Both of them were grimy, sweaty and exhausted. "Any word?" Deakins asked.

"Nope," Logan answered.

The captain looked from one to the other, eyes finally resting on Eames. "How are you holding up, Alex?"

"I'm okay. Did they get everyone treated?"

"Yes. No one else needed to be hospitalized. Did you see that little guy holding on to your partner's badge?"

Eames smiled sadly. "Yes. He had a death grip on it."

"He wouldn't part with it for anything. Once she was feeling better, though, the little girl gave us his jacket. She said thank you very sweetly. Those kids were very lucky."

"Their grandmother seemed to be taking good care of them."

"That wasn't their grandmother. She was just another passenger. Both kids were traveling with their moms, and neither mom made it."

"Oh, no. Did they find the dads?"

Deakins shook his head. "We found the boy's uncle and the girl's cousin, but neither of them were willing to take the kids in. The little guy lost his dad last year to cancer and the girl's father has never been in the picture. They've gone to emergency foster care while social services looks into that woman's background. She's willing to take both kids, if they'll let her have them."

Logan got a bag of M&Ms from the snack machine and tossed one up in the air, catching it in his mouth. "Lady's got a good heart," he muttered, catching another one. He stopped and looked at Deakins and the women, who were all staring at him. "What? Hey, I didn't have dinner. We were down in that God-forsaken tunnel for over four hours and we've been sitting here almost as long. I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry, Logan," Barek commented. "How'd your mother afford to feed you?"

"You don't want to know. M&M anybody?"

Eames was watching the fish swim lazily in their glass prison. She rested a hand on the tank and several fish the size of bait minnow came swimming over. Bobby had been right. They were calming. She rested her forehead against the glass of the tank, looking up when a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She almost expected it to be her partner. But it was Logan, and she turned into him, burying her face in his chest as she slid her arms around his waist. He rested a hand on her back. It was late, they were exhausted, and the more time that passed, the more Eames worried. She took comfort in just holding him, since Bobby wasn't available to give her the reassurance she needed.

"Alex?" Barek called.

She turned, noticing the doctor in the doorway. She recognized him from the emergency room and moved toward him. He recognized her as well. "Detective Eames..." He sat down and motioned for her to sit beside him. He looked at Deakins, Logan and Barek. "Are they with you?"

She nodded. "How is he?"

The doctor sighed. "The good news is we did not have to put him on life support. His heart is beating on its own and he is breathing without the need for a ventilator. Let me tell you...any longer and it would have been too late. Like they told you in the ER, his organs were beginning to fail because he'd lost so much blood. He had a number of small lacerations in his liver that were steadily bleeding, and that was the source of his blood loss. I don't have to tell you how lucky he is that the bleeding was slow. We've given him fluid to bring his circulatory system back up to volume, which was critical to his survival, and he's received three units of packed red cells so far with three more to hang before morning. So...bottom line is we watch him. I seriously doubt he has sustained any permanent damage. We moved him to the ICU, and we will watch him closely. As long as he remains stable through the night, there is no reason for him to stay there."

"Can I see him?"

"Yes. I'll let the nurses know it's okay."

"Thank you, doctor."

She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. Logan looked at Barek and Deakins. "Um, Alex?"

"I'm fine, Mike. Just so you know, I'm telling him he's not allowed to come to work on the subway any more."

They laughed and Deakins said, "Go see him. Logan and Barek will take your current case."

She nodded. "Thanks. The files are on our desks."

"No problem," Logan grumbled, eyeing Deakins with a frown.

Barek grabbed her partner's arm. "Call us later, Alex. Let's go, Logan. A shower and a couple of hours of shut-eye will change your perspective."

"Or you'll change it for me, right?"

"You got it, cowboy."

* * *

She stood in the doorway of his ICU cubicle, watching him. He looked a lot better. His skin color was more normal and his breathing was easy and regular. He looked like he was just sleeping. Her eyes strayed to the bags that hung from the pole beside his bed. One was blood; the other was a clear fluid. He had two IV lines running into his right arm. The blood was flowing into a vein in his forearm near his elbow while the fluid went into one in the back of his hand. There was another IV access near the elbow of his left arm, but nothing was attached to it. Finally, she was surprised to see another IV line on the upper right side of his bare chest. "It's okay, detective," came a voice from behind her.

She looked over her shoulder at the doctor. "I'm not used to seeing him like this."

"I would think not. But he's actually doing really well."

"What's that in his chest?"

"Just a precaution. We weren't sure how quickly his organs were going to recover so we put that in just in case he needed a few dialysis treatments. That doesn't seem to be the case, though, and if he continues to improve like he is, we'll take that out as soon as we are certain his kidneys have recovered."

"Has he been awake?"

"He started to wake up, but he hasn't managed it yet."

"Is he in pain?"

"Not at the moment. We'll see how he feels when he wakes up, but I don't think the pain will be anything like it was before."

"So he's okay?"

"Compared to how he was when he got here, he's doing great."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why did it take so long in surgery?"

The doctor hesitated. Finally, he said, "When we got him, he was anything but okay, detective. The first two or so hours were rough. That's all you have to know. Go sit with him."

She hesitated again before she finally said, "Thank you."

She walked to his bedside, eased herself down into a chair, and slipped her hand into his.


	9. Not A Mistake

Awareness returned slowly and he braced himself in anticipation of the pain, but it never came. There was still pain, but nothing like it had been. Tentatively, he took a deep breath, and pain flared in his chest, but regular breathing was fairly comfortable. He shifted his weight in the bed, groaning softly, but he didn't feel as badly as he remembered feeling the last time he'd been conscious.

Opening his eyes, he squinted at the light. He couldn't move his right arm and he frowned at that. Turning his head to the right, his frown faded when he recognized the blonde head that rested on his arm. Slowly, he reached his other arm across his body and lightly rested it on her head. She stirred, sitting up suddenly as she remembered...

"Bobby?"

He smiled weakly. "Hi, Eames."

She studied his face, reaching out and resting her hand against his cheek. Her eyes filled with tears of relief. "Bobby, the next time your car breaks down, call me."

He laughed softly. "Bet on it."

He reached his hand up and lightly ran his fingers down the side of her face, along her jawline and up to her lips. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

She gently kissed his fingers. "Sorry for what? Unless you planted those bombs you have nothing to be sorry for."

He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. "But...I do..."

She saw the deep fatigue in his eyes. She lightly caressed his cheek. His eyes got heavier. "Rest," she said softly. "We'll talk later. We have time."

He swallowed, trying to force his eyes to stay open. "Eames..." he murmured. "...Love you."

She watched his eyes close, and she kissed his forehead. "I love you, too."

----------------------------------------

When he woke again, he was no longer in Intensive Care. He looked around the room, confused. How long had he been out?

The door opened and Eames came in. "Well, hey there."

"I, uh, thought I was in the ICU."

"You were. But you've been improving and they saw no reason to keep you there."

He nodded, pushing himself up in the bed. He groaned when his chest felt like it was on fire. "Bobby?"

He held up his hand. "I'm ok. Just...broken ribs hurt...you know that."

"How's your gut feeling?"

"Sore...but a lot better. I...God, I felt so bad. I...know what it's like now...to be dying..."

"Bobby, don't..."

"Come over here, Eames. Sit down. We, uh, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"Please."

She crossed the room and started to sit in the chair, but he grabbed her arm. "No. Here." He indicated the bed beside him. "It's ok. I need contact."

She hesitated a moment more before she slid onto the bed beside him, facing him, and very gently rested her hand on his abdomen. He winced slightly and she started to pull away, but he encircled her hand with his and placed it back where it was. "It's ok." He sighed. "I apologized to you...do you know why?"

"For worrying me?" She couldn't think of another reason for him to be sorry. He'd done nothing wrong.

"Well, I _am_ sorry for that, but that isn't why I apologized." He hadn't released her hand, and now he lightly caressed it with his thumb. He averted his eyes, watching her hand where it rested in his. "I, um, I was very selfish, Eames. It was not the time or the place to tell you..." His voice dropped. "...that I love you. I should have chosen a better place...like a nice restaurant, or even one of our apartments...not a subway tunnel. I couldn't even see you."

She rested her hand over his mouth. It never failed to amaze her, the things he felt guilty about. "Don't ramble, Goren. You are probably the least selfish person I know. Did you tell me because it would make you feel better, or because you thought it would make me feel better?"

"Does it matter?"

"Did it make you feel better?"

"No." Actually, it made him feel guilty. It would never have mattered to him if he had died not telling her--he would never have known. But he wanted her to know...and he had no idea why. It wouldn't have mattered to her either, if he had died leaving it unsaid. All it would have done was make her feel...worse. How could he have done that to her?

"It _did_ make me feel better. So, yes, it matters."

He raised his eyes, looking at her for a long minute. "Don't tell me what you think I want to hear, Eames."

"Bobby, how long have you known me? Have I _ever_ told you what I thought you wanted to hear?"

He laughed softly, wincing at the pain that flared in his chest. "No. You never have. Not even when I asked you to."

"Ok, then. So, you weren't supposed to fall in love..."

"Not-not with you." _It's ok, Bobby. It's a mistake we both made. _"Um, do you really think it was a mistake?"

"You don't?"

He shifted his eyes away. "I-I think it was, um, unexpected. But a mistake...? No, Eames. A mistake is something...wrong...or regrettable...something that results from bad judgment or...or ignorance. It wasn't something I intended, but I-I don't regret it."

"If you don't regret it, why apologize?"

He seemed agitated. "I wasn't apologizing for falling in love. I was apologizing for the timing, for telling you when I did, and where. Not for what I told you."

She reached out and gently stroked the side of his face. "Shhh...calm down," she whispered. Leaning closer, she gently kissed him. He closed his eyes, his hand touching her cheek as she whispered, "Mistake or not, it's something we both did. I don't regret it either."

He slid his hand behind her head and drew her closer again, so he could kiss her...

----------------------------------------

He adjusted his position on the couch, leaning over so he could see down the hall toward the bathroom. He could still hear the shower running. He got up and went into the kitchen, pulling a beer from the refrigerator. Walking over to the window, he looked out at the late afternoon activity in the neighborhood below. Stickball. He smiled. It was like a rite of passage...playing stickball in the street. He and Lewis used to have a blast playing stickball...

It had been just over a week since he'd left the hospital and Eames was being overprotective. She wasn't inclined to let him do _anything_, and he was getting annoyed. He was feeling better, and nearly all the pain was gone. Well, except for his ribs, which still hurt when she made him laugh, or he took too deep a breath, or he moved the wrong way. But it was getting better.

The phone rang. He set the bottle on the window sill and crossed the room, lifting the phone from its cradle. "Hello?"

"Bobby?"

"Um, yeah..."

"It's Steve. You know, from the subway..."

"Yeah...hey, man, how are you?"

"Doing good. How about you?"

"I'm a lot better."

"I talked to Alex two weeks ago, after you got operated on. She said you were gonna be ok and that you wouldn't mind if we called you..."

"No, that's fine. I'm glad you called. Uh, who's _we_?"

"Me and Kelsey."

He smiled. "How is she?"

"Great. We both are."

"You're...uh, together?"

"Funny, isn't it?"

"No. I think...it's something very good that came out of something...very bad."

"Yeah, it is. Say, if you're feeling better...maybe, could we treat you to dinner tonight? I know it's kind of late to ask, but...we'd really like to see you. And Alex, if she's available."

Available? Getting the warden to let him out was going to take some finagling. "I think that would be...nice."

"Great. How about meeting us at Bennigan's near Times Square in an hour? You know the place?"

"I know it. Ok, Steve. We'll see you then."

He heard the bathroom door close as he set the phone back down. "Bobby?"

"I'm right here, Eames. Don't panic."

"Panic? I..." She frowned at him and he laughed. He really wished she wouldn't do that.

"We're going out," he informed her.

"Oh, really?"

He put his arms around her and drew her close, kissing her forehead. "Really."

"Just where are we going?"

"Bennigan's, over near Times Square."

"Why the sudden plans?"

He pressed his forehead against hers. "Because I am sick and tired of being in this apartment and not doing a damn thing. And because Steve just called and I told him we'd come. Now if you want to skip out..."

She silenced him with a kiss. "Do you feel ok?"

"Yes. I keep telling you that." Of course, if she really wanted to keep him here, she had the ability to convince him to do that... But if she knew it already, which he suspected she did, she wasn't going to act on it. No...she was afraid of hurting him, dammit. And so far, he'd been unable to convince her that he wasn't going to break.

Sighing heavily, he pulled away from her and headed to the bedroom to get dressed.


	10. Confronting Her Fears

He came out of the bedroom tying his tie, and she just looked at him. "A tie? Aren't you a little overdressed for Bennigan's? Steve and Kelsey don't strike me as coat and tie people."

"They're not, and it's not like I'm wearing a tux. Why are you annoyed?"

"Never mind. Let's just go."

"You're mad because I made plans without clearing them with you?"

"Bobby..."

"Dammit, Eames! Will you get over this? I am fine. Just because I got hurt when a subway tunnel blew up and fell on my head doesn't make me fragile." He caught himself and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I am fed up with being stuck here in the apartment and I want to get out, ok? Going to dinner is not going to kill me, but if we _don't_ go, I may just jump out that damn window." He tipped his head and leaned over to catch her eyes, which she had averted when he'd yelled. "Alex? Please."

"I'm sorry if you think..."

Two steps and he was close enough to touch her. She moved to back away, but he gently grabbed her arm with one hand and tipped her head up toward his face with the other. "I don't _think_ you're being overprotective. I _know_ you are. Look, can we talk about this later?" He leaned closer. "I'm hungry."

She studied his face. "Ok, and we will talk about it later."

"That's fine."

He started to turn away until she put her hand on his arm. He looked back toward her. "Sometimes you don't know what's best for you."

He looked thoughtful. "You're right. But this time I _know_ that sitting on that couch doing nothing isn't what's best for me. I don't need to be waited on or nursed. I just need..." He trailed off, switching gears in mid-thought. Now was not the time to open _that_ can of worms."I need to get out of here."

"Ok, Goren. Let's go, then."

"Don't be mad."

"I'm not mad, and we'll talk about it later. Now go..." She gave him a gentle shove toward the door.

He smiled at her, and she couldn't help smiling back. She loved his playful grin...it had been awhile since she'd seen it. He opened the door, turning his head toward her. "And I'm not overdressed, Eames."

"Go," she said with another gentle push.

He laughed, wincing and unconsciously pulling his arm tight against his rib cage. "Don't do that," he protested lightly as he headed toward the elevator and she pulled the apartment door closed.

"Do what?" she asked innocently.

He stopped suddenly and she walked into him. "Look at that. I didn't break..."

"Don't be an ass, or I _will_ break you."

He turned to look at her. "Is that a promise?"

She smiled. Maybe she had been being a tad overprotective...She kissed him, lingering almost too long. "Yes. Now we're going to be late..."

---------------------------------------------

Steve and Kelsey were waiting when they got there. Steve was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt and he looked like a typical college kid. Kelsey looked more like Goren had pictured she should when he'd first seen her, dressed all in black with the proper jewlery in her piercings.

Steve gave Goren a hug and said, "Man, you look so much better!"

"I feel a lot better."

As Steve turned toward Alex, Goren caught Kelsey, who threw her arms around him and squeezed. He let her hold tight for as long as she wanted to while he waited for the fire in his ribs to diminish. "It's nice to see you in the light," she said as she stepped back. Her eyes shifted toward Alex. "Hi, Alex!"

"How are you, Kelsey?"

"I'm taking the bus these days."

Laughing, they headed into the restaurant.

----------------------------------------

After being seated and ordering their meals, they made small talk as they got comfortable with one another. The waitress brought their drinks and then their meals. Steve pushed a french fry through the ketchup on his plate. "Do you still think about it, Bobby?"

Goren didn't look up. "Yeah," he said quietly. Nightmares of increasing intensity had kept his sleep more troubled than usual.

Eames slid her hand onto his thigh and he closed his hand over it. She knew how troubled he was, and she helped to keep the nightmares at bay for at least part of the night. But not even Eames could chase them away entirely. Kelsey leaned toward Steve, resting her head against his shoulder. "Me, too," she said, her tone of voice troubling both Goren and Eames. "I can't help imagining that ceilings are falling down on my head."

Goren looked at her. "Something like this, it stays with you. There's a reason the word terror is the root of terrorism. It's why the events of 9/11 have stayed with us all this time." He felt Eames' hand tighten around his. "It's why that day in the subway will stay with us."

Another french fry trailed through the ketchup on Steve's plate. "Why do I feel so bad, you know, about not being able to save more people?"

Goren didn't answer, averting his eyes. That haunted him as well. Finally he looked up. "Steve, we did everything we could have done."

"Maybe we should have..."

"Don't do that. Don't second guess what we did. Everything we did, we did because we thought it was the best thing to do."

"But looking back..."

Eames shook her head. "Don't look back, Steve. Hindsight is always 20/20; foresight never is. You just can't predict the future. You make your decisions and then you deal with the results. You guys were in an unimaginable situation. As scared and as worried as I was, I realize it was nothing compared to how you felt."

Kelsey looked at Goren. "You weren't scared."

"I hide it well. I act first and react later. Of course by the time it was ok to react, I wasn't feeling much of anything."

"Weren't you afraid we were going to die?"

He took a drink of his beer. "Yes, I was afraid for you and Steve, and the others who were stuck down there with us. But me?" He shook his head. "I lost my fear of death a long time ago. I have...other fears to take its place."

Steve said, "You really didn't seem scared."

Eames answered, "He never does."

Goren glanced sideways at his partner. "Neither do you, Eames."

"It's that cop mindset. Never show your fear."

Kelsey thought about that. "So how do I learn not to be afraid?"

"That's not something you can learn," Eames said. "We never learn not to be afraid. We just..." She trailed off, looking for the right words.

"We master our fears," Goren filled in for her. "We never let them master us."

Steve took a drink. "Well, it worked for you, and it helped keep the rest of us from panicking."

Goren smiled. "Then I did my job." It was time to steer the conversation in another direction. "So what's going on in school, Steve?"

-------------------------------------------

After the meal, they left the restaurant together. "We're going clubbing, if you guys want to join us," Steve invited.

Goren shook his head. "No, thanks. We really should get home."

"Um, can I ask you something, Bobby?"

"Sure."

"Are you seeing anyone about this, you know like a shrink or something?"

"No. But the department will make me before I go back on the job."

"You got an opinion? You know, like for us?"

"I won't hurt, Steve. I think it's a good idea."

He nodded, extending his hand and pulling Goren into a hug when he took it. Kelsey wrapped her arms around him again and kissed his cheek. "I am so glad you're ok."

They started to turn away but Kelsey turned back. "Bobby?"

He turned toward her. "What is it, Kelsey?"

"Are those little kids ok?"

He nodded. "They are. The state is going to give custody to Mrs. Davis, the woman who took care of them in the tunnel. The little guy eventually let go of my badge."

Steve laughed and asked, "You gonna see them?"

"Yes, after they get settled with Mrs. Davis. Maybe in a week or two. It'll do them good to see me after everything that happened."

"Yeah. You were dying the last time they saw you. They didn't handle that too well."

Kelsey grabbed Steve's hand and smiled at the two cops. "We can do this again, can't we?"

With a smile, Goren said, "Sure. Just give me a call."

Eames watched them walk off with a smile. "I must say, Kelsey is a perky one."

Goren smiled. "They're a cute couple."

As they walked toward the car, he fell silent and she left him alone with his thoughts. But once she slid behind the wheel, she turned to watch him. It took a minute for him to realize the car hadn't started, and a moment longer to notice she was looking at him. He'd been in this situation before. "What'd I do?"

"Guilty conscience?"

"No. Staring partner."

She smiled and started the engine. "You didn't do anything."

"Why were you staring at me then?"

"I just wanted your attention."

"Ok. You got it."

"Bobby, I'm sorry."

He looked puzzled and went through the events of the evening to find what it was she was apologizing for. He came up empty. "I give up. What are you sorry for?"

"For being overprotective. Why did you let me get away with it?"

"Because I understand why you were doing it. It was starting to get annoying, but...like you said, you were worried and scared, and if you didn't care it wouldn't have mattered. So I let you do what you needed to do."

"Suppose I'd felt the need to beat the crap out of you for scaring me like you did?"

He smiled. "If that's what you needed..."

"Really?"

He leaned toward her, resting his arm on the console between them. Softly he said, "I love you, and meeting your needs is part of that."

"What about your needs? I haven't exactly been giving you your space like I normally do."

"We'll get back there. You'll start letting go, once you quit being so afraid that every time I sneeze I'm going to puncture a lung." He didn't bring up his frustration that she refused to let him do anything more than sleep beside her.

She kissed him softly."I don't want to hurt you..."

He traced his fingers along her jaw. "I know. You won't."

He let his fingers continue down the side of her neck, watching her close her eyes...across her collarbone, and she swallowed hard...then she caught his hand. "We're not teenagers, and I am not going to let you do this to me in the car. Not in the middle of Times Square!"

He looked around. "We're not in the _middle_ of Times Square..."

"Bobby!"

He laughed softly. "Ok, then," he murmured, close to her ear. "Let's go home."

She gasped softly when he nipped playfully at her earlobe. "Dammit, stop."

Reluctantly, he settled back in his seat, looking out the window and forcing his body to settle. Thank God she wasn't a slow driver...

-------------------------------------------------

He watched her try to ignore him as the elevator carried them up to his floor. Moving to stand behind her, he leaned forward, close to her ear, and whispered,"Alex..."

She jumped. She had been so focused on...other matters, she hadn't even noticed when he moved. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"No." He rested a hand on her hip, drawing her back against him. "Not at all."

"We're in an elevator. Cut it out."

"Aw, come on..."

She stepped away from him when the elevator stopped and the door opened. She was already out of the car before he had time to realize she'd stepped away. "Eames..."

He hurried down the hall after her. "Come on," he said. "Wait for me...unless you plan to start without me..."

She already had the door open. "Hey..." he started as he got to the doorway.

She grabbed his tie and pulled him into the apartment, kicking the door shut as soon as he was clear. Every sign of overprotectiveness was gone, every fear and insecurity...He grunted when she knocked him down onto the couch...but nothing mattered to him...nothing but her...

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Ignore it," he whispered into her ear.

Another knock. She wasn't going to ignore it. _Shit_...

She pulled open the door and Mike Logan grinned at her as he moved past her into the apartment. "I know I'm a rude son of a bitch because I didn't call, so tell me something I don't know. I'm just tired of being told not to come over..." He trailed off when he noticed the frustration on her face and the anger in his. "I'm interrupting."

"Yes," he grumbled at the same time she said, "No."

"Ok, I may be rude but I'm not stupid. I'll leave if you promise to call me tomorrow so we can have lunch or something." He eyed Goren. "You owe me, remember?"

"I'll buy you lunch for a month if you get the hell out of here now," he said.

Logan laughed and Eames shoved him toward the door. He looked at her. "You're not going to hang up on me again?"

"No. Now get out."

Logan was laughing as she shut the door on him and turned back toward the couch. She smiled as she crossed the room toward him...and the phone rang. "I've got a machine," he said as she looked toward the phone.

"Deakins knows I'm here."

"Alex..." He groaned as she headed toward the phone. "Hello?"

"Detective Alex?"

"Hi, Lewis."

"Tell him I'll call him later," Goren said.

"Hey, is Bobby around?"

"He said he'll call you later."

"Oh...ok. Are you coming with him to pick up the car?"

"Is it done?"

"Yeah. I finished it the day he got hurt, but I didn't want to bother him with it."

"You working on anything good?"

"I have a sweet '65 Mustang...and a '61 Corvair."

"Ok, then...I'll be there! Tomorrow?"

"Sounds great. See you then."

She turned back to see him watching her with his arms folded over his chest. She smiled. "We're going to see Lewis tomorrow."

"Fine."

She crossed to the couch and dropped down beside him. "I can call Mike back if you want."

"No. I just want you to quit answering the damn door and the phone."

She laughed and slid her arms around his neck. He pulled her close. "We'd have had fewer interruptions over at Times Square."

"Yeah, but Deakins isn't going to hear about anything that happens here."

"Hmmm. What happens at home..."

"..stays at home," she concluded.

Laughing he turned into her and lowered her back onto the couch.


	11. Getting Back to Normal

He stirred in his sleep, waking her, but he settled right back down and she nestled carefully into his side. Lifting her head, she glanced over his body at the clock. Nearly five in the morning, and he was still sleeping. She smiled. It was the first night since he'd woken after the bombing that he had slept well.

She leaned close and softly kissed him, settling back down with her arm draped carefully across him. She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

When she woke two hours later, she was alone in the bed. Getting up, she quickly dressed and went out into the living room. He poked his head out of the kitchen. "Hey, you want pancakes?"

"Are you feeling ok?"

"Yes."

She went into the kitchen and watched as he worked at the stove. He didn't seem to be in any discomfort, but she still felt the need to watch him, and he let her. Handing her a plate filled with pancakes, he kissed her. "I'm ok," he said softly. "Sit down."

He grabbed the syrup, butter and orange juice and followed her to the table. The phone rang, and he grabbed it. "Hello?"

"Hey," Logan's voice came over the line. "Sorry about last night."

"Forget it."

"You up for lunch."

"Can we make it dinner? We're going over to Lewis' to pick up my car."

"Sure. How about Chinese?"

"Sounds good. You gonna bring your partner?"

"If you bring yours."

"I haven't gotten the ok to leave her sight yet."

Logan laughed. "Ok. We'll see you later."

He hung up the phone and smiled at her. "Dinner with Logan and Barek."

"Would it make you feel better if I smacked you?"

"Actually, Eames, it would," he answered with a grin.

----------------------------------

Lewis came across the shop when he saw them come in, hugging Goren. "You look good, Bobby. You ok?"

"Fine."

He looked at Alex and grinned. "Hey, Detective Alex! You look great."

"Hello, Lewis."

"You want to see that Mustang?"

"You bet," she answered, smiling at her partner. They followed Lewis through the shop into the back lot.

"Wow! Is this that same Mustang you got two months ago?" Goren asked.

"The same one," Lewis answered, beaming. "I put a lot of work into it."

Goren ran his hand along the roof above the passenger door. "You should have seen this when he got it, Eames! It was a mess. Great job, buddy."

Eames always loved to see Bobby with Lewis. He was relaxed and he smiled a lot. Of course, Lewis' very demeanor inviting smiling. She really liked him. He was almost like a kid in his attitude toward, well, everything. Lewis could always make Bobby laugh, and she loved him for that.

"Well, Detective Alex? What do you think?"

"I'm very impressed, Lewis. It's beautiful!" She pointed to another car not far away. "And that's the Corvair you mentioned?"

"Yep, that's her. I've got the body work done, but she needs a new engine. If you guys aren't too busy and you want to help with her, say, next weekend...I should have everything in by then."

Goren looked at his partner, eyes bright. She laughed. A weekend with Bobby and Lewis, rebuilding an engine... "It sounds like fun. Count me in."

------------------------------------------

Logan leaned across the table and pointed at Goren and Eames with an egg roll. "You guys owe us. That case we just finished for you was a pain in the ass."

"Oh, quit whining," Barek replied.

"Hey, if we'd drawn that case, I might have done what he did."

Goren raised an eyebrow. "I doubt it was bad enough to get your ass blown up, Logan."

Barek kicked Logan under the table. "Just excuse Mr. Tact here, Bobby."

Logan grimaced and rubbed his shin. "Hey, they didn't have to interrogate Miss Raging Hormones."

"Neither did you, idiot. He took off out of the room and left her to me."

Goren shrugged. "We've had our share of those. They tend to amuse me and irritate the hell out of my partner."

"Same here, but the way this one was going...well, it just would not have been very professional."

"Come on, Logan...you love it," Barek said, mildly annoyed.

"This one was just a bit too...aggressive for my taste. I like a little more of a challenge."

Goren snickered, earning him a glare from Logan. "What the hell are you laughing at?"

"A challenge...Let's see, what was her name? Bambi? There was very little challenge there, if I recall."

"Yeah, but she had a body..."

"Ok, you two, that's more than enough," Eames waved a hand at them. "I think it's time to change the subject."

Goren looked at her and winked. Logan just chuckled. "You guys are no fun."

Barek looked at him. "Just because we don't want to hear about your conquests doesn't mean we're no fun. If you'd keep your mind out of the gutter..."

"Oh, it wasn't in the gutter, Barek."

"That's for sure," Goren muttered.

Barek and Eames looked at each other. "Let's leave well enough alone for now, boys..." Barek said, eyeing her partner as Eames gave hers a poke.

"What?" he said. "I had nothing to do with it. That was all Logan."

Logan nodded. "Maybe so..."

Goren sat up a little straighter and glared at his drinking buddy. Logan just grinned. Eames looked at her partner. "Don't tell me you boys need chaperones."

Goren just waved a hand, stepping away from the conversation and giving Logan a look that warned him to do the same. Logan laughed. "It's all in good fun, Eames. He's not serious about anybody but you, don't worry. Now me, I'm a different story..."

"That you are," Barek answered with a shake of her head, snatching an egg roll from his plate. "Finish your dinner, Logan."

----------------------------

Logan and Barek left first, and Eames watched her partner with an amused smile. "What?" he asked.

"You kept Logan from saying something."

"Nothing important."

"Come on, Bobby..."

"Really, Eames, it's nothing."

"There's no 'Bambi' in your past?"

"I never said that. There's just no reason to bring anything like that up. It's...in poor taste."

"Well, that's Logan."

"I guess."

She slid her arm into his as they headed for the car. "It's ok, Bobby. I think it made you more uncomfortable than it did me. If it makes you feel better, I can tell you about the 'Biffs' in my past."

"No, thank you, Eames."

Stopping near the bumper of the car, she leaned up and kissed him. He caught her before she could step away and pulled her back, first teasing her lips with his, then deepening the kiss. She leaned back against the car when he stepped back and looked at him. Her mind was blank for a minute and he just looked at her, eyes bright with amusement. Recovering, she gave him a gentle shove and walked around to the driver's side of the car. He laughed softly and headed around to get into the car.


	12. Healing Wounds

It was a nice house, with a well-manicured lawn. There were rose bushes lining the front of the house and hanging plants along the full length of the porch. Two bicycles sat in the driveway and several balls were scattered about the front lawn. Goren nodded approvingly. "This is nice," he observed.

He'd been back to work for a week after getting the ok from one of the department's psychologists. He handled his demons well, and there was no reason for this one to give him much more grief than any of the others. Of course, he hadn't _said_ that. He was fine, more than ready to be back at work. _That_ was what he'd said, and he'd meant it.

Eames rang the doorbell, and they waited until Mrs. Davis came to the door. She remembered him from the subway. She had only seen Eames briefly, but she remembered her, too. "Please come in, detectives."

She led them to the living room, where she opened a drawer in an old rolltop desk and took something out. She handed Goren his badge with a grateful smile. "Thank you," she said softly.

He smiled and slipped the badge into his pocket. "How are the kids?"

"They're adjusting well. I take them to see a counsellor once a week and they are beginning to sleep again at night. Jeffrey still cries for his mother from time to time. Emma is very quiet, but she's starting to smile again."

"I, um, I wanted to thank you, for everything you did for them that day," Goren said.

"Not as much as I wanted to thank you, detective."

Eames recognized his shy smile, and she knew he felt that he hadn't done enough. Mrs. Davis looked at her. "You were there, during the rescue."

"Yes."

"We owe a number of you a great deal."

Eames shook her head. "No, you don't."

Goren nodded in agreement. "We were doing our job."

Mrs. Davis smiled at his modesty. "I saw what you did, and I saw things get worse for you as the day wore on. Another man might have sat off to himself and licked his wounds. You ignored yours...you and that young man who watched out for you."

"Well, I'm fine now."

She got to her feet and gently patted his cheek in a maternal manner. "I'll get Jeff and Emma."

She left the room and he leaned forward, rubbing his forehead. Eames rested a hand against his side, beneath his open jacket. He turned his head and gave her a smile.

The children came quietly into the room. He looked up at them and smiled. "Hi, kids."

Emma took Jeff's hand and they walked closer, until they stood in front of the two detectives. Emma reached out her hand and touched his shoulder. He reached out and touched her chin. Beside her, Jeff tentatively touched his tie, and he rested his fingers gently against the boy's elbow. At the same time, both children stepped into his arms, and he hugged them. Eames smiled. These kids were going to be fine.

--------------------------------------------

He was quiet as she drove back toward Manhattan. "Everything ok?" she asked.

"Yeah. Those kids got lucky."

She nodded. "They sure did. So did you."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, my luck almost ran out, though."

"Do you still think you were where you needed to be?"

"Absolutely."

She nodded in agreement. "So do I."

He looked at her. "Really?"

"Really. From what I've been told, you are the main reason those people didn't panic. They trusted you, and you stayed calm. They saw you continue to push yourself until your body just gave out. That takes a certain kind of heroism, Bobby."

"Or a certain kind of stupidity."

She smiled, reaching a hand over to touch his arm. "I know the difference. Let's get some dinner and go home."

He smiled back at her. "How about we go home and then get some dinner?"

She laughed and he leaned back in his seat, interlacing his fingers with hers and closing his eyes. His body was just about healed, and he felt good. The wounds in his soul would probably never heal, but he could manage them, as he managed everything in his life. And there was nothing he couldn't manage as long as he had her.

_fin._

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**A/N: Hope you guys liked it :-) Special thanks to The Confused One for letting me know what she thought about the last two chapters.**


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